• A study finds painting windmill blades reduced bird fatalities by over 70 percent.
• Scientists are always looking for ways to reduce bird deaths from turbines.
• The emphasis on windmills’ threat to birds is politically charged.

Could a ridiculously simple change save birds from wind turbine-related deaths? Scientists in Norway have presented a 9-year study where they painted wind turbines a highly visible black and observed a 70 percent drop in bird deaths. In turn, this could remove one of the most stalwart critiques people have used to slow the spread of wind power technology.

In a 2019 speech, President Donald Trump said things like, “You want to see a bird graveyard? You just go, take a look, a bird graveyard? Go under a windmill some day.” Trump also said, “But they’re manufactured—tremendous, if you’re into this, tremendous fumes, gases are spewing into the atmosphere.”

In the new study, the researchers focus on “passive visual cues” that are easy for flying animals to internalize and act on. The researchers […]